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Wrongful death suit possible in baby’s death

The parents of a baby who drowned after his head briefly went underwater in a tub are considering filing a wrongful death suit against the woman who was responsible for his care at the time.

Fred and Linda Flohr say in a court filing in Garfield County that investigations by the county and Children’s Hospital in Aurora suggested caregiver neglect may have been a factor in the death of Franklin Flohr, who was just under a year old when he died Feb. 14.

The filing says Coleman provided child care services at her residence in Silt when the Flohrs began to have her care for their son in August 2008.

On Feb. 13, Franklin had been in a tub attended by a baby-sitter and his head briefly went underwater, causing him to gulp some water, the filing says.

It says the sitter removed him from the tub, and Franklin threw up and then stopped breathing. An ambulance crew found him to be unresponsive and without a pulse and began employing rescue breaths to try to revive him.

The filing says the Garfield County Department of Social Services “raises questions of neglect in relation to Franklin Flohr’s death.” A child protection team at Children’s Hospital also indicated neglect may have been a factor.